J. Cole performs at the Dreamville Takeover Showcase at ACL Live durin SXSW on Saturday.Erika Rich / For American-Statesman

This might be your only chance to see J. Cole in Texas this year. Rapper/singer J. Cole has a long history with Jmblya parent company, Scoremore Shows. The Austin-based hip-hop production powerhouse booked his first tours in Texas when the company was a fledgling operation/pipe dream of founders Sascha Stone Guttfreund and Claire Bogle.

“Sascha used to send these long-winded emails like ‘Hey, we really, really love J. Cole. He’s touched our lives and I know there’s a lot of kids in Austin, Texas, that would feel the same way and we’d love to bring him,’ and agents would kind of ignore us and be like, ‘How much money is he gonna make? Let’s talk figures. I don’t care about your sob story,’ ” Bogle told the Statesman last year.

Eventually they sold Cole on the idea and Scoremore has handled most of his Texas shows since. Now, as Cole’s new album “KOD” sits atop the Billboard charts, the Texas shows will be the first opportunity for North American audiences to see the songs performed live. Scoremore reps say these are Cole’s only “currently announced Texas performances” this year, a cagey statement that doesn’t rule out an appearance at Scoremore’s Mala Luna festival in San Antonio this fall.

The good news? Fest organizers tapped free-wheeling trap artist Young Thug to replace Cardi at the fest. He’s a top-tier stand-in and a perfect fit for the fest.

The bad news? If you’re into female performers, you’re out of luck. Cardi was the only featured woman on the bill this year. (The same way Snow tha Product was the only lady in the mix last year.) With her off the roster, you’ll have to show up early to catch a 20-minute, 2:25 p.m. kickoff set by local DJ, Jampagne if you want to see a female artist rock out there.

A new water system should make hydration easy. “Stay hydrated” is the No. 1 rule for successful outdoor festing, and the biggest knock against Jmblya 2017 was that the fest briefly ran out of water during the hottest part of the day. This year, they’ve partnered with Event Water Solutions to provide filling stations. There will also be 125-gallon Water Monster tanks near the festival entrance. Fest-goers are encouraged to bring empty refillable bottles or CamelBaks. You also can bring in one factory-sealed water bottle.

Travel light and leave the big bags at home. Like most large events these days, Jmblya will have tight security. Maximum bag size is 17 inches high by 13 inches wide by 8.5 inches deep. All fest-goers must submit to airport style security, so expect a bag search and a pat down on the way in. And once you’re in, that’s it. There’s no festival re-entry.

So your kid wants to turn up … Oh hey, mom and dad. So your kid’s been bugging you about Jmblya and you’re not entirely sure what a Migos is, but if it’s not a taco you’re not interested? Kids 14 and older can attend the festival without adult supervision. Younger than that, prepare to be the “Bad and Boujee”-iest mom in the junior high PTA. If your young J. Cole fanatic is very young, or at least very short (under 3 and half feet tall) they get into the fest free. But bring ear protection, because it’s going to be loud.

Look ma, two stages. Jmblya is shifting its footprint to add a second stage this year. There’s no set overlap, but with the new setup, the fest aims to crank out eight and a half hours of nearly nonstop music. Here’s the schedule for the Austin show: